The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in triple overtime to take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Chicago is now three wins away from being the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions, after winning the 2010 Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers.
This Game 1 has now become the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup Final history after 112 minutes of play. Boston took part in the longest game in Stanley Cup Final history in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers back in 1990. Chicago took part in the fourth longest game in Stanley Cup Final history in a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens back in 1931.
Andrew Shaw was the hero Wednesday night scoring the game-winning goal as the clock struck midnight in Chicago, with 12:08 into the third overtime period.The Blackhawks became the first ever home team to win a triple overtime game in a Stanley Cup Final.
Milan Lucic scored the first two goals for the Boston Bruins, the Bruins lead 2-1 after two periods. The Bruins took an early 3-1 lead in the third period with a power-play goal by Patrice Bergeron, but Chicago rallied to tie it with goals coming from Dave Bolland and Johnny Oduya.
Both of these goaltenders were amazing, especially in the overtime period, Tuukka Rask saving 64 shots, and Corey Crawford saving 54.
Boston and Chicago, the first Original Six teams to make it to a Stanley Cup Final since 1979 provided plenty of drama tonight, this is why hockey has the best playoffs in all of sports. The Bruins and Blackhawks have had memorable comebacks in this postseason as the Bruins came back from a 4-1 deficit to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the third period way back in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Boston became the first team ever in NHL history after trailing by three goals in the third period in a Game 7. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have shown why they have won the Presidents' Trophy as they trailed three games to one in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings, but rattled off three straight wins to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
In the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games after trailing in the series two games to none. If anyone can battle through adversity, it's the Boston Bruins.
Settle in folks, we're in for a heck of a series, and it was only Game 1, we could be in for six more of these going forward. This year's first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs set an NHL record with 17 overtime games, who knows what will unfold in these last few games. Thankfully these teams will have two days off with well deserved rest as Game 2 is not until Saturday night in Chicago.
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